Turbulent Hearts
by AgresteBug
Summary: When Chat Noir challenges Ladybug to find him outside of the mask after she admits her feelings for him, things take a turn for the worse, and Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Can Adrien and Marinette find a way to make amends, or will our duo succumb to their broken hearts?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! Melty Camembert Hearts and Passion Fruit Macaron Hearts for everyone! Today's the day to spread love and joy, and show the people we love we care about them! Here's a small piece of love from me to all of you! I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own the characters, just the plot! ^-^**

_"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged cupid painted blind." - Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream _(*My quote of inspiration for the story*)

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_...Thursday night, Feb.16_

_He watched in horror as Ladybug turned away from him, tears falling down his face, "M'lady, m'lady please, let me explain,"_

_"There is nothing to explain Chat Noir." Her voice was thick with her tears, "It was all a lie, all of it, and I fell for it."_

_"NO! That's not true!" He said loudly in hurt, reaching out for her arm to stop her from leaving like this, "It has always been you. You are the only one in my heart,"_

_She pulled her arm out of his grasp, refusing to turn around to face him again, "Stop lying to me! I can't take this anymore Chat, I can't. Loving you was a mistake."_

_His heart squeezed in his chest, pain tearing through him, "You don't mean that. Ladybug, I love you, I've always loved you." He put his arms around her from behind, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent. It was warm and sweet, the smell of spices and flowers. It was the smell of the home he had wanted his entire life. "I love you." He whispered, "I love you so much."_

_He felt her shaking, silent tears rocking through her as she put her hands on his arms, pulling them down away from her. She slowly turned around, but instead of Ladybug, Marinette was there. Her bluebell eyes were red from crying as she looked into his eyes, placing her hand over his heart, "Then why, why did you push me away?"_

_His heart sank, "Marinette, I," he took a step back as she wrapped her arms around herself, "I knew it. I always knew you would never be able to love someone like me."_

_"But I do love you!" He screamed, watching as her eyes squeezed shut in pain, "Please don't. Haven't you broken my heart enough?"_

_He felt like he was going to be sick, "I never, I never meant, I never wanted to," he saw the purple butterfly hovering above her shoulder and his heart jumped into his throat. He was never going to make it in time to stop it from happening. The akuma entered her earring as he lifted his hand towards her, "NO!"_

He bolted upright in bed, his hand stretched out in front of him, the scream trapped in the back of his throat. He lowered his shaking hand, trying to control his rapid breathing. He was covered in sweat, the pain of the dream still fresh in his mind. He covered his face with his hands, his breath hitching as he cried.

He was an idiot.

How could he have let this happen?

Something soft nuzzled his neck, a gentle, rumbling purr flowing into him as he cried. "It's not your fault Adrien." Plagg whispered, "You didn't know,"

"That's the problem Plagg!" He said, angry at himself, "I should have known. I should have seen it. I should have seen _her_!"

"The magic didn't let you see it. That's how it works." Plagg reminded him, trying to use his 'Tikki' voice. It had already been a few days since the incident, and his kitten wasn't doing any better. This was the third night in a row Adrien had woken up this way, drenched in sweat and in a panic. He didn't know how the boy had tears left to shed.

While he usually would have tried to tease it out of him, Plagg knew this wasn't the time. This time, it was different.

Adrien said it wiping his eyes, "So many times I've compared them, and still, she was right in front of me and I," more tears fell as Adrien sniffled, "all I did was hurt her."

Plagg suggested it lightly, "Hey, why don't we go prowl around for a little while? That always makes you feel better."

Adrien gave him the smallest of smiles that only lasted a few seconds, "No, not tonight I, if I go out right now, I know exactly where I'll end up." He got up slowly, heading straight for his shower. He rinsed off quickly and was still towel-drying his hair when a loud crack echoed through the city. He rushed out of the bathroom, looking straight at Plagg who was already confirming it, "An akuma no doubt."

He nodded, looks like he couldn't avoid the inevitable for long, "Time to work. Plagg, Claws Out!"

He was out of his room in seconds, racing towards the akuma, and towards the love of his life whose heart he had broken.

_... Friday early morning, Feb.17_

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She called out in the early morning light, not able to hide how exhausted she was as she watched the magical little ladybugs restore Paris.

Chat dropped next to her as the magic faded, holding his fist out uncertain, "Pound it?"

She forced herself not to look at him as she tapped her fist against his quickly in silence. She turned to leave and Chat grabbed her hand, "M'lady wait, please, please we have to talk about this."

Her earring's beeped in warning and she told him softly, "I can't. I'm sorry."

She zipped away on her yo-yo, her tears from last night renewed hearing the pain in his voice. She knew that she shouldn't have said anything. She was ridiculous for thinking he really loved her. She should have kept her feelings buried after all this time. At least then, only her heart would be hurting. He didn't deserve this, not her kind and loving Chaton. Her sweet and caring Adrien. Neither side of him deserved it.

But what was she supposed to do? What else was she supposed to think? He had told her with little hesitation how he felt about her. Only in her worst nightmares had she dreamed of this outcome, but having it come true had turned that nightmare into a pleasant dream. She would trade anything to go back to how things were before.

Even her nightmare hadn't prepared her to lose him like this, both in and out of the mask.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, crying silently on her bed as Tikki told her again, "Marinette, you should talk to him. You are both hurting so much,"

"It's just going to be the same Tikki," she said sniffling, "Adrien has never had real feelings for me, not the way I do for him. He's only ever loved Ladybug, not Marinette. Why should he? I'm nothing special."

"You're wrong! You are an amazing person!" Tikki told her, "Adrien see's that. He knows how wonderful,"

"Stop it Tikki!" She pleaded, looking up at Tikki with eyes clouded like a storm at sea, holding back the sun that used to shine there. "Just stop it Tikki. Please."

Tikki watched as Marinette curled her arms around her legs and cried, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. She sat in the crook of Marinette's arm, patting her arm in comfort without saying anything else. She knew that this time, nothing she could say would make this better.

Now, it would be up to Adrien and Marinette to set things right.

_... Friday before school begins, Feb.17_

She closed her locker with a heavy sigh. She hadn't gone back to sleep after dealing with that akuma. She didn't know how she was going to make it through the day. She knew her eyes were red and puffy from crying, she just didn't care today. She was barely taking a step to leave when she bumped right into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't, paying, attention."

Her words started slipping when his beautiful green eyes caught hers. "No, it's okay." He said softly, "I wasn't paying attention either."

They stared at each other unmoving, both of them feeling the bite in the back of their eyes, seeing the pain on the others face. Marinette moved first, shutting her eyes as she moved past him and rushed out to get to class.

Why, why did this have to happen? Why had she ever agreed to find him? Why had she let herself hope after all this time?

She was such an idiot.

She walked to class not seeing anything around her.

That night began playing over in her mind before she could stop it. Again.

_Flashback - Sunday evening, Feb.12_

They stood casually side by side at the top of the Eiffel Tower, smiling down at the city they loved slowly lighting up beneath them.

"I'll never get tired of seeing the city from here." Chat admitted suddenly.

Ladybug smiled, "Me either Kitty." She leaned forward on her arms, "One of the better perks of being a superhero."

"But not the only one." He said happily.

She turned to look at him and saw the red rose in his hand. Her eyes widened slightly, "When did you,"

"A chat's got to have some secret's m'lady." He bowed slightly, holding the rose out to her. She stared at it for a few seconds before looking back into his brilliant eyes, "Chat,"

"Please? It doesn't have to mean anything more than you want it to." He told her with a shy smile, something she rarely saw on him.

She took the rose and smiled into its petals, "Thank you Kitty, it's beautiful."

"You're welcome." He said as his smile brightened. "I'd do anything to make sure your smile never fades."

She let out a soft laugh, scratching behind his ear and watching his eyes close contently, "You're a hopeless romantic, you know that?"

His smile turned into a smirk, lifting a paw to his forehead dramatically, "Hopeless? Never m'lady how could you say that? I am a pure, simple romantic through and through, thank you very much."

She laughed again, "You're such a dork Chat Noir."

"But I'm your dork bugaboo." He said with a flirty wink that caused her heart to stutter.

She knew he had seen the hesitation on her face because his voice dropped to a whisper, "I'm sorry."

"No," she told him quickly, "It's not you. It's me. I feel like such a terrible person." She held the rose carefully in one hand, but laid her head on her arms in front of her tiredly.

Chat stood next to her, his elbow touching hers as he leaned forward next to her, "You're not a terrible person. You are torn, I know that. I meant what I said m'lady. My feelings are never going to change. I'll wait for you forever if I have to."

"You shouldn't have to. I shouldn't be putting you in this position at all. It's wrong!" She said, turning to look at him, "I know I'm hurting you, asking for you to wait."

"I'm a big kitty bugaboo." He cut in suddenly with a smirk.

"That's not the point. Three years we've been doing this. Three years we've been fighting side by side. You are the single, best friend I could have ever asked for. You are there for me when no one else is, and you always have my back. You are the only one who really understands everything we have to deal with," she looked down, "everything I have to deal with since becoming the new guardian."

She took a deep breath and placed the rose down on the metal rail carefully.

She turned back to him and put her hands on either side of his face, "I love you." His green eyes widened as she kept going, "I love you, so much, and I hate that I am hurting you by asking you to wait until my heart stops fighting with itself." She ran her thumb over his cheek, finally admitting it to him, "Even though, I'm pretty sure I know why I've been so torn all this time."

His voice was shaking, "What, what do you mean?"

She let her hands fall from his face. She hugged herself, closing herself off in preparation for whatever reaction he was about to have, "I love both sides of you Chat Noir, mask, and no mask."

He took a step back, staring at her in shock as his head shook slightly, "You, you think,"

"I know who you are?" She tried, watching as he nodded, "I think so, at least, I'm pretty sure I do."

He asked instantly, "Who do you think I am?"

She smiled at him lovingly, "The boy, the one I told you I was in love with a long time ago. Him. I think you, are him." She covered her face for a second, "I know I could be wrong, but I think the more I accept it, the more the magic has started to lift. When I admitted last week that I had feelings for you, but still had feelings for the other boy, things started shifting. I was seeing things I wasn't before, putting things together that I used to tell myself were just coincidences or impossibilities. You couldn't possibly be him, you were too different. Until I realized that really, you weren't that different at all."

She saw the shock still on his face and told him, "I stopped fighting what I was feeling, and I realized why I had been so conflicted. I had fallen in love with the same person twice, with both sides that make up who he is."

He told her shaking his head, "That's impossible. You can't really think I'm him. I would have, I would have known it was you. I would have felt it."

She looked down, "That's the thing, and it's part of why I've been so hesitant. I don't think," she hesitated before getting it out, "I don't think you would have known it was me all this time."

He stepped back towards her, asking hurt, "You don't think I'd love you the same, no matter what?"

"That's not it. I think you would, but, that's the question that's been burning in my head. Would you still love me the same, if I walked up to you unmasked and told you how I felt? Would you love me for me, the way I've always loved you for you?"

He told her quickly, "That's IF you really think I'm the boy you've loved all this time."

"I don't really think I'm wrong." She said easily.

"Tell me, and I'll tell you if you are right." He promised.

She shook her head, "If I tell you now, your love for Ladybug will cloud how you really feel."

"You are Ladybug." He said simply.

She sighed, "I know you love part of me, the Ladybug part, but one day, there isn't going to be a Ladybug anymore Kitty. There is going to be the me underneath, and that's the part I think you don't love the same."

"You are wrong." He said hard, "Mask, no mask. You are who I fell in love with, over and over again, despite everything that has happened to us over the years. You are the one my heart calls out to."

She looked down and he asked quietly, "Why don't you believe me bug?"

"Because if you are who I think you are, I don't think you feel the same. You love Ladybug, but you don't love me." She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, "I want to be wrong. I want to be wrong more than I have ever wanted to be wrong in my life. I want to walk up to you as a civilian and tell you everything I feel, and see your eyes brighten the way they do when I tell you I love you." She saw that spark come to life in his eyes.

"But I don't think it will happen." She whispered, sounding truly defeated.

He stood there, letting her words weigh on his heart. He knew that she really believed that. He could see it in the slump of her shoulders, in the remorseful shaking in her voice.

He was going to prove her wrong.

"I dare you." He challenged.

She looked up at him quickly, "Dare me? To what?"

He cupped her cheek, "To walk up to my civilian self, if you are that sure of who I am, and tell me how you feel as your civilian self."

She closed her eyes, "If I do that, you'll know right away it's me. That defeats the point I'm trying to make."

He smirked, but she could see that he was slightly uncomfortable, "If you are right, then you know the next few days for me are going to be," he tried to think of the best word for it, "trying." He finally settled on.

She nodded, "Valentine's Day is Tuesday."

His smile was still awkward, "Exactly. On top of all the akuma's we are no doubt going to be dealing with on Valentine's Day as usual, it's not exactly the highlight of my civilian's sides year, given the circumstances."

He let his forehead rest on hers as he closed his eyes, "If you find me, and I find you among the chaos, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that you don't ever have to doubt my feelings. I'll show you everyday how much you mean to me, and never let you go ever again bugaboo."

Her eyes closed as she relented, "You've got yourself a deal Kitty. Sometime in the next forty-eight hours, I'll tell you the truth, civilian to civilian. If you realize that it's me, I'll spend the rest of my life showing you what it means when someone loves you completely, without wanting anything in return except for you to be happy and to feel that love everyday."

He hugged her tightly, nuzzling his nose into her neck, "I will find you. I swear it."

"I want you to find me." She whispered.

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look into her eyes without letting her move out of his arms. He was taken back to that moment so long ago when they had loved each other completely, unburdened by the masks. Before having those memories taken from them after defeating Oblivio. He smiled slightly, asking longingly, "With your permission m'lady, for luck."

She smiled back at him, shaking her head slightly as she started leaning up to him, "Silly kitty."

His lips pressed to hers gently, and she pulled him closer, willing him feel the truth in her heart, willing him to find her so that they could be together. She begged the Miraculous magic with everything she had - _Please, please let him see._

She pulled back and he was smiling brighter than ever, "At least I'll remember this one."

She giggled, "That's not really my fault you know."

He clicked his teeth, waving a finger at her, "Who is the Ladybug here in charge of that evil Miraculous Ladybug that erases memories?"

She ran her hand quickly through his hair, messing up his already wild mane even more, "Take it up with Tikki."

"Oh I will." He said with smirk. He took a step back and bowed, "Sleep well m'lady. Until the morrow."

She smiled and watched as he vaulted away, laughing to herself as he did a happy flip in the air and disappeared into the night, "Good night Adrien. Sleep well."

_... Friday midday break, Feb.17_

He was sitting with his head back on the bench with his eyes closed, letting his hands rest in the front pocket of his black hoodie. Plagg was purring gently as he slept in the warmth of his hands.

"Hey man."

He opened his eyes but didn't move, "Hey Nino."

Nino sat next to him and sighed heavily, "You gonna make me ask again?"

He closed his eyes, holding in his sigh, "There is nothing to tell."

"Yeah? And your pops is up for father of the year." Nino said sarcastically.

"There is nothing to tell Nino. Nothing is going on. I'm fine." He said evenly, knowing he didn't sound the least bit convincing.

"So you've said, all week." Nino said frustrated. "Oh, hey Marinette!" He called out happily.

Adrien shot up, startling Plagg in his front pocket, and looking around in a panic. But Marinette was nowhere in sight.

He saw Nino cross his arms with a stern look on his face, "Yeah, nothing wrong my ass. Why the hell are you avoiding Marinette like the plague? What the hell happened between you two?"

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. This was all his fault. All because he hadn't kept his promise, because he had been blind and had pushed his feelings aside instead of questioning them the way his lady had.

He finally let it out as the weight of it all crashed down on him, "She told me she loved me."

Nino's arm fell in shock from where they were crossed on his chest. His mouth dropping before he asked, "She told you?! After all this time she actually managed to tell you, like to your face?!"

He nodded, groaning as he realized it, "You knew? You knew how she felt all this time? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Nino frowned at him, "It wasn't my place my man. Do you know what Alya would have done to me if I had spilled the beans? I'd be lucky to have gotten off with just being buried alive."

He ran both hands through his hair even more frustrated, not caring that he was turning it into a wild mess, "I'm an idiot Nino. She told me how she felt and I, I told her I was in love with someone else."

Nino went silent, and he let it out, "But I am in love with her. I have been for so long, and I didn't realize it until it was too late. I mean, I knew but I kept pushing it down. I didn't let myself feel it and now," he stared down at his hands, "She won't even look at me. She won't let me explain why I said what I did, or let me tell her how I really feel. Not that I deserve the chance anymore."

He let his face fall into his hands, trying without success to stop from thinking about it. To no avail.

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**Thanks for reading! Sorry about the sudden end, but the flashback is coming right up so don't fret!**

**As always feel free to comment and review if you'd like, I love hearing from you guys!**

**Au Revoir for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Let's get this show on the road!**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews favs and follows! You guys are the best!**

**Also I do not own the characters, just the plot!^-^**

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_Flashback...Monday afternoon, Feb.13_

He took a deep breath before getting out of the car. There were only going to be fifteen minutes before lunch break was over. That was going to be his excuse to try and make it to class on time if he got trapped again. He'd already had six girls come up to him in the morning and between classes, saying how much they really liked him. He had opened his locker twice and had found it the first time filled with cards, the second time filled with flower petals. He had no idea how whoever did it had managed to get the petals in there. It was actually a little unnerving to think about.

He barely made it inside the building when he was stopped. He saw the card in the girls' hand as she asked to talk to him. He only took a few steps to the side with her before she held out the card, explaining about how much she admired him. That was new at least. The girl had taken off before he could give her a response, but he wasn't complaining. He read the card quickly, smiling slightly. It wasn't an over-the-top declaration of love, just an honest note about how much she admired his work with modeling and how she wished him happiness.

He put the note in his bag, Plagg saying it low, "Ugh, not another one. It's not even Valentine's Day yet."

"It is only going to get worse, you know that." He whispered, making his way across the commons. He saw a quick flash of pink before he was being pulled away from the stairs and towards the locker room. He was pushed behind some lockers and her small hand went over his mouth as she peered around the corner. He heard the increase of footsteps before a voice said it quickly, "I know Adrien was here! I saw him walk in!" "Doing this together was a stupid idea." "Speak for yourself." "I'm not going to let anything stop me." "Me either!" There were at least five girls outside the locker room door, looking for him he realized.

When the voices passed, the small hand moved from his mouth as she let out a soft sigh, "I'm so sorry about practically dragging you in here. I overheard them talking about you and knew they were going to hunt you down when you got back."

He couldn't help but smile at her, "You are a lifesaver Marinette. It's not even Valentine's Day, and I still can't get away from it."

She smiled, fiddling with the end of the braid over her left shoulder, "It was nothing. I know how much you absolutely enjoy the next few days."

He groaned slightly, but smiled at her sarcasm, "Oh yeah, it's my favorite time of the year."

They laughed together for a second before he told her seriously, "Really, thank you. I'm seriously debating not even coming to school tomorrow after the way today has already gone." Especially because he knew that none of the girls who had come up to him today were his Lady. She had said forty-eight hours, which would include Valentine's day tomorrow, but she knew how tomorrow was likely to go. If he didn't find her today, he wasn't going to get the chance to look for her civilian self tomorrow. He honestly just, wouldn't have time, and neither would she.

The joy in Marinette's eyes dimmed slightly, "O-oh, you aren't going to be here tomorrow?"

"Not if I can help it." He said as a promise, even if that meant spending the day as Chat Noir. He and Ladybug were no doubt going to be needed all day anyways. Last year they'd had over a dozen akuma's on Valentine's Day alone. Hawkmoth was no doubt going to try and break his record this year just to mess with them. To wait for them to mess up so that he could try and get his hands on their miraculous.

"Oh, that's, too bad." She said softly.

He smiled at her, "Hey, don't worry. It's just one day. I'm not going to forget my friends that fast."

She looked up at him, worrying her bottom lip. He asked instantly, knowing what that meant, "Hey, what's the matter? Why are you upset?"

She shook her head quickly, "No, no I'm not upset. I'm fine."

He looked at her sternly and she caved, "Okay I'm not fine. I thought, I didn't think it would be like this."

He asked confused, "What do you mean?"

"I know how much you hate Valentine's Day, and that all those girls throwing themselves at you makes you uncomfortable." She grabbed his hand suddenly, holding it gently in hers, "And, I don't want to be one of those girls. You are one of the best friends I could have ever asked for, but I, I can't keep pretending anymore."

He felt his heart pick up speed, internally starting to panic, "Pretending?"

She squeezed his hand, telling him quickly, "It's nothing bad, I swear!"

He felt himself relax a little, "Oh, good, that makes me feel a little better, but I'm still confused."

She took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes, "I'm in love with you Adrien. I have been for a long time, and I can't keep pretending like those feelings aren't there. I feel like I'm about to burst if I hold it in anymore."

His heart dropped, "Marinette,"

"I know you've always told us that you were in love with someone, and I have always respected that. You are entitled to love who you love. I just, I can't keep it to myself anymore. You are so special Adrien, in so many ways. Your friendship has meant the world to me, but my feelings for you go so much deeper than that."

She kept her eyes cast down, "I'm not perfect, and I am a total klutz. Words have never been my strong-suit, but I need you to know that this wasn't some overnight change. I can't even tell you when the exact moment was, but there were little things that led up to it that made me realize how much you really meant to me." She smiled at the ground, "It was in your willingness to help your friends, and in your smile despite all the rules and strict schedules. It was in the way you always look out for the people you care about, and the way you cherish those people. It was there, in the way your eyes shine when you are genuinely happy, and in the little lucky charm you made for my birthday to show how much you really cared."

She finally found the courage to look up with a soft smile, "It was your puns that made me cringe and want to laugh at the same time, and your kindness when you held your umbrella out to the girl who judged you far too quickly. Those are the things that made me fall in love with you."

He squeezed her hand, trying with everything he had not to cry. Why did she have to be so amazing? Why did she have to love him this way? He had been pushing down his feelings for her for over a year, and now to find out she felt the same way... and with Ladybug finally ready to give him a chance too. Why was this his sick luck?

His stomach turned. He hated himself for what he was about to do. His heart was practically pushing the air out of his lungs, making it nearly impossible to speak as he got it out slowly.

"You, you are one of the most, amazing, genuinely kind and most beautiful girls I've ever met. I can't believe that, someone like you would even be friends with someone like me, much less feel something more." His throat felt dry, and he felt a strong bite start at the back of his eyes as he held back the tears.

"I'm, amazingly lucky to have someone like you in my life." He let go of her hand, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth, "And I, I'm so sorry Marinette but I, I can't return your feelings. I'm in love with someone else."

He watched the tears fill her eyes, even as she smiled sadly, "No, don't apologize, I get it. I can't compare to her, I always knew that."

He told her quickly, "That's not it. There is no comparison. You are amazing in your own way. It's just that she,"

"has your heart." She said knowingly, making him nod in silence as the tears fell down her face. She closed her eyes as she looked away, "I always hoped that I was wrong, that you saw me as more than a friend," she sniffled, "but deep down, despite that hope, I always knew your heart belonged to someone else."

She wiped the tears away in vain as more easily took their place, "I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to believe you and I wanted you to prove me wrong." She looked back at him, saying it sadly, "I told you that you wouldn't love me the same Kitty. And I hate that I was right."

It took a second for his mind to register her words, his eyes widening as he realized what he had just done, "M-m'lady I,"

"Don't." She said in hurt, "That was the truth. You don't really love me. You never did."

He felt like every nerve ending in his body suddenly went into overdrive, filling him with a pain he didn't know was possible. She turned quickly to leave, making it to the door before he found the will to move, "Marinette wait!"

She rushed out into the hall as he went after her. "Marinette please!" He begged as he tried to catch up, "Please, let me explain,"

"There's nothing to explain." She said, stopping and turning back to him sadly, "You are in love with her, I know that, but that doesn't change your feelings for me, the feelings that don't exist. It's been one-sided for a long time."

He said it instantly, "That's not true."

"Yes it is." She said as stared into his eyes. He could feel her heart breaking, the way his was breaking seeing that pain on her face, "You broke your promise. You didn't see me. You've never seen me."

She turned and walked away, but this time he couldn't make himself follow after her. The tears in his eyes fell as he stood there, crumbling to pieces.

He had lost his Lady, and he didn't have anyone to blame but himself.

_...Friday back at midday break, Feb.17_

Nino asked when he went quiet too, trapped completely in that moment where he had ruined everything, "So, are you planning on breaking up with Lila then? If you are in love with Marinette?"

He wanted to glare at Nino for even suggesting he had anything going on with Lila, but settled for genuine shock when he saw that Nino actually looked sincere.

He said it hard, "I'm not breaking up with someone I'm not even going out with in the first place. I don't know what Lila has been saying this time,"

"She said you asked her out on Valentine's Day, and you guys just hadn't told anyone yet to avoid the media." Nino said quickly before asking, "You mean it's not true?"

"NO IT'S NOT TRUE! I'M IN LOVE WITH MARINETTE, I'D NEVER GO OUT WITH THAT LIAR!" He yelled as he stood angrily. He made his way back inside, Nino catching up to him quickly, "Dude, I didn't know."

"It's not you. I'm sorry for snapping at you." He said softer before adding it annoyed, "I want to say I can't believe this, but I can."

They walked into the commons, seeing Alya at Lila's side, a hand on her arm as Lila said it with fake kindness, "You need to move on Marinette. You are making a scene, and after that horrific display before Valentine's day to try and take Adrien from me,"

"I didn't try to take him from you! I can't take what was never yours to begin with!" Marinette said angrily, "I don't care what lies you want to spread anymore,"

Marinette leaned forward slightly, an uncharacteristic wicked smirk on her face, "you are a lost cause not worth the time or effort, but you won't talk about him that way! I'm not going to stand here and let you get away with talking about Adrien like he's a trophy you think you've won! You don't know the first thing about him! He is kind and gentle, and smart and funny. He cares about his friends, and about protecting people. He just wants someone to look at him and see him for who he is, to see how much he loves anime and romance stories like the amazing dork he is, and who is willing to stand up for him when no one else will. He deserves someone who can show him everyday that he is loved despite his flaws, not for his looks or stupid money or obnoxious fame that he wishes he didn't even have!"

Marinette closed the gap to Lila, getting right in her face as she said it hard, "Lie until your last breath. I don't care about what you make anyone think about me, or how they think you are some saint," she got closer, her bluebell eyes on fire as she stared into Lila's scared face, "but don't you dare, try to drag Adrien down into your lies with you ever again."

Lila asked harder, but her voice was shaking, "Or you'll what?"

Marinette stepped back, smiling sweetly. It scared him to the core.

"I'll make you wish you had never laid eyes on him." She said with that sweet smile still on her face.

God he loved this girl.

"Adrien." Lila called out to him in surprise.

Marinette instantly turned, her cheeks flushing as their eyes met. He slowly walked over to them, Alya asking point blank, "Adrien, you can clear this up. Will you just tell Marinette that you are dating Lila, and that she really does know you better than anyone? You guys have been through so much together and Marinette is trying to make it seem like,"

He held Marinette's eyes, saying it instantly to cut her off, "Lila doesn't mean anything to me. She's a liar who thinks she is going to use me to make herself look good. I would never go out with someone like her, not when my heart is already with someone else who does know me, and who loves me for me. Despite how much I've hurt her all this time."

Marinette looked down as Lila grabbed his arm, "Don't be like that Adrien. I know you wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible so the media wouldn't hound us but,"

He pulled his arm out of hers roughly, "Don't. There is no you and me. There will never be a you and me. I wouldn't have asked you out, even in my most desperate moment. I spent almost all of Valentine's Day hiding out." _And dealing with akuma's_, "I didn't have time to ask out the one person I wanted to, and that person wasn't you."

Lila's facade was slipping, "It's not like there is anyone else who could even compete for your heart Adrien."

Marinette said it angrily, "He's not a damn prize Lila!"

"I'm not a damn prize Lila!" He said just as angrily.

They looked at each other again in shock, realizing that they had said it at the same time.

He gave Marinette a small smile as he said it, "But you are right. There is no one who can compete." He took a few steps closer to stand at Marinette's side, hoping that she could see how much he meant it. "My heart belongs to Marinette, it always has."

He gently pushed a loose piece of hair out of her face, staring into her beautiful eyes as he said it, "There is a reason I haven't dated much, and the one time I did, that it didn't work out. No one can compare to her."

Her eyes were glossy as she held back tears, and he ran his thumb over her cheek softly, his voice lowering as they became lost in their own world, "No one can keep me up at night, or make me smile just by thinking about them. No one can laugh and warm my heart, or cry and cause mine to break."

Her lower lip was trembling, and he grabbed her hand to pull her closer, "No one can look at me, and see me past the glamor to who I am. No one accepts me despite my flaws, despite my mistakes, despite how much I've unknowingly hurt them,"

The tears in her eyes fell as her eyes closed in pain. He wiped them away gently, whispering it as the pain in his own heart clenched inside of him, "No one except you, the only girl in the entire world who can make my heart feel like its being torn in two," he let his forehead rest against hers, "without realizing all this time that the girl I loved, and the girl I was falling in love with, were already one and the same."

Marinette's voice cracked as she whispered his name longingly, "Adrien,"

He knew this wasn't a good idea, but right now, he didn't care one bit. He was going to make sure that everyone understood loud and clear, and without question where he stood. Including her.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers gently in front of everyone, only feeling her hesitation for a second before she started to kiss him back stronger. He pulled her closer as her small hands wrapped around his neck, willing her to understand the truth in his heart, willing her to understand how much she truly meant to him.

Reluctantly he pulled back without moving his arms from around her waist, smiling at her before looking back at Lila, "Was that clear enough?"

Lila stomped her foot, practically seething, "She is a worthless little nobody who doesn't deserve you! She is just going to use you to further herself, to make herself look good! She doesn't care about you at all!"

"Marinette doesn't need me to make herself look good, or further herself." He said simply and without hesitation, hugging Marinette closer to him.

"She's designed Jagged Stone's last three album covers. Has won the last four contests my father has put out on her work alone. She even started her own online store last year that gets traffic she has earned by how hard she works. Her heart goes into everything she does, and if it is one thing I have always known," he looked back at Marinette, telling her softly, "she is the only person in this world who has ever cared about me, and seen me for me."

He looked down ashamed as he said it, "That's the way I should have seen her from the beginning, instead of pushing down my feelings for over a year because my eyes blinded me to what my mind had already tried to tell me."

Marinette blushed slightly and he smiled at her, "That, is the truth."

Lila scoffed, "You'll regret this."

He told Lila easily, giving her an uncaring smirk as he let go of Marinette, only to take her hand and stand in front of her protectively, "Not even for a second."

Lila stormed off, and Alya looked between them in shock, "I can't believe, I thought Lila really,"

"Cared?" Adrien said huffing, squeezing Marinette's hand as she stood next to him, "Only about herself."

"So, you and Lila never,"

"Never." He said cutting Alya off. "I don't know why you believe her so easily. It's never made sense to me."

"Lila's not a bad person." Alya said softly, Adrien holding back his smirk as he caught the way Marinette rolled her eyes in silence. He knew that she and Alya had come to a silent accord after a while where Lila was concerned. Alya wouldn't talk about Lila to Marinette, and Marinette wouldn't try to prove how much of a liar Lila was.

There was a sudden loud cackling above them, and he instantly moved to stand in front of Marinette as they all looked up. There was no doubt in his mind who the darkly dressed girl with glowing purple eyes was.

Lila.

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**Thanks for reading! The next part is coming right up so don't fret!**

**As always leave a comment or review if you want!**

**Au Revoir for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Lila got akumatized. Are we surprised? No, no we are not.**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows! Melty Camembert Hearts to everyone!**

**Also, I do not own the characters, just the plot!^-^ Enjoy!**

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Everyone was staring up at where Lila was standing on the upper roof, glaring down at them with a wicked smirk on her face.

"I am Nightmare. You still think you won't regret your decision Adrien?" She taunted, lifting her hand as a purple sphere formed in the palm of her hand as she held it out towards them. "Have a taste of this!"

The purple sphere flew from her hand and he moved instantly, grabbing Marinette and pulling her out of the way with him. They watched as the sphere collided with the ground with a loud pop, sending a glittering purple dust into the air.

"You can't protect her forever! I'll give you no choice but to love me! I'll make you watch as that good-for-nothing turns into your worst nightmare!" Lila called out angrily.

She started quickly shooting more of those purple spheres towards them. It didn't seem like it was taking any time for her to recover before sending more spheres down in succession. Students were scrambling in a panic after the first shot, trying to avoid being hit in the haze of dust clouds forming around the commons. He and Marinette remained Lila's main targets, but it was obvious she didn't care about anyone she was catching in the cross-fire.

They tried to get away from her long enough to transform, but they couldn't shake her without finding their way blocked by another dust cloud.

Adrien frowned to himself. Running like this wasn't working, and the dust clouds were closing in on them from all directions.

They heard yelling start through the lingering dust as they ducked underneath the staircase when visibility became almost zero.

"Oh please, you really think anyone likes that god-awful-trash you call music?" Alya said angrily.

"Oh and you, miss check your facts?" Nino responded just as angry, "You couldn't see Lila's lies from a mile away even if you tried."

"We aren't both going to be able to get away," he whispered as Marinette said it in a similar low tone, "We'll think of something."

He whispered it back to her, "You go. I'll hold her off for as long as I can and try to get her away from where she can infect more people."

"You can't just expect me to leave you here to,"

"I'll be right behind you." He said confidently, giving her a small wink. She hesitated but started to step back, "Don't do anything stupid. I'm coming back to get you out."

He smiled at her, "As m'lady commands."

She flashed him a small smile before taking off in one direction while he took off in another. Nightmare was on him in seconds the way he knew she would be as soon as she saw him, "You really thought you could run?" A purple sphere was already waiting in her hand as he told her, "I'm pretty fit. I think I could outrun you for sure."

The people who had been in the commons were already arguing with each other or were off to find the person they wanted to yell at. He knew most of the classrooms would still be empty because of the lunch break, but he had to draw her as far from the cafeteria as he could. That was no doubt where most of the students would still be.

She growled out at she threw another round of spheres at him, making him have to duck behind a bench to avoid the unrelenting shots. Her shots followed him all the way to an empty classroom on the opposite side of the school from the cafeteria. He threw the door shut and went straight towards the window, opening it quickly as Plagg warned him, "You need to transform dummy."

"I can't as long as Nightmare is my tail Plagg. I trust my lady, we just need to," Plagg ducked into his shirt quickly.

"You aren't going to get away!" Another shot flew past his ear as he turned around in surprise.

Nightmare took deliberate slow steps towards him, her hand poised at the ready as she aimed at him. He watched the purple sphere come to life in front of her palm as she told him triumphantly, "Now you'll be mine, whether you want to or not."

"You really want me to yourself that much?" He asked simply.

Nightmare huffed, "It has nothing to do with you. You are as big a pain in the neck as that goodie-goodie Marinette. I just don't want her to have you. She's been after you for years. If it wasn't for me keeping her in check all this time, her little attempts at telling you the truth about her feelings may have actually worked."

He felt a hiss building in his throat, "I'm not the same person I was a few years ago." It was taking every conscious effort to cage the animal instincts building inside of him, and warned her as evenly as he could, "You need to be very careful with what you are implying."

Nightmare smirked, a dark sparkle in her eyes, "Is that right? You think you've grown up enough to play with the big girls? What do you think you can do?"

She lowered her hand, the purple sphere shrinking in size before disappearing, "Stop me from taking scissors to the hand-made sweater she made you for Christmas last year? Or make sure your Valentine's gift wasn't smashed into the millions of little pieces it was meant to be? Or how about stop me from taking credit for the VIP tickets she had gotten you for Jagged's concert for your birthday?"

She was taking a step closer to him with every act against Marinette she was admitting to, "Or my personal favorite, taking that sickeningly obnoxious love letter she had written for you and swiping it from her bag before she could give it to you?"

She laughed a hard sound, "You never noticed a thing. You are just a blind little boy who doesn't have a clue."

He asked hard, "Where is the letter?"

She smirked, "Oh that's in a safe place don't you worry. You'll see it soon enough. The whole school will. I warned her what would happen if she didn't stay away from you."

He heard the familiar zip of a yo-yo and said it smirking, "Well, that's going to be hard, seeing as the first chance I get I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."

Nightmare raised her hand to attack him just as a familiar yo-yo string wrapped around him. He smirked at her, giving her a small wave before he was being yanked back out of the window. He was caught by familiar red and black arms before he was being carried off away from the school. They didn't go far before Ladybug was setting him down in silence, asking low, "You okay?"

He nodded, "Fine. She didn't manage to hit me."

She turned away from him, taking a few steps towards the roof's edge, "If you are going to transform, this would be the time."

He walked up to her, turning her back around as he stared into her eyes, "Claws out."

Their gazes never faltered as the green magic swirled around him. She looked away first by turning back to the school, saying it quickly, "We have an akuma to catch Kitty."

"Lead the way M'Lady." He said easily, even knowing that there was still a lot they needed to talk about. Despite having kissed her, and her kissing him back, that wouldn't be enough to fix what he had done.

They raced back towards the school, but found Nightmare laughing as she threw purple spheres towards people in the streets, fighting and screaming erupting with every new blast. "That's right! Face your worst nightmare in the eyes of the person you love most. Let them see you for who you truly are inside!"

"You don't have the right to make that choice for them." Ladybug said sternly, her yo-yo twirling at her side.

He placed his baton over his shoulders lazily, smiling tauntingly, "Yeah, if we let you choose, it would really be a nightmare."

Ladybug shot him a hard glance but he only smirked. They quickly dodged the stream of sphere's Nightmare was throwing at them with a vengeance as she asked with a hard sneer, "What did you do with mister and misses perfect-for-each-other?"

Chat said it hard, "Marinette is safe."

"And Adrien is out of your reach." Ladybug said in the same hard tone.

Nightmare lunged at them but they moved out of her reach, playing a game of untouchable tag. As they hid behind a car to try and catch their breath, Ladybug told him, "I think the akuma is in her bracelet. Do you think you can get to it if I get you the opening?"

He nodded, "How are you going to do that? We can't get close to her without her trying to nightmare us."

"I think we add a little more luck to the mix." Ladybug told him with a small smile.

"I'll cover you." He moved out from behind the car and kept Nightmare's attention on him. He heard the familiar call, "Lucky Charm!" Nightmare suddenly smirked as she saw the opening he did, the opening he and Ladybug both knew was there. He was moving before his mind could tell him not to. The lucky charm fell into her hand, and the sphere slammed into his chest. He flew back as Ladybug screamed out, "CHAT!"

He could feel her power rippling inside of him as he grabbed his stomach, trying to keep it down. He felt a hand on his arm and she told him softly, "Fight it, fight it Kitty please." He groaned, knowing he as in a losing battle. He whispered it to her longingly, "I love you."

"Chat," she whispered, making him look up at her angrily as his hold snapped, "Ladybug." He swung at her with his baton but she flipped back out of the way.

His voice was hard, "What's the matter bug? Afraid to get too close?"

Nightmare was cackling above them, "Grab her miraculous Chat Noir!"

He twirled his baton, "With pleasure." He went towards her, saying it angrily, "You don't deserve your miraculous. You are supposed to be strong and fearless, and you couldn't even do something simple like tell the boy you love that you love him!"

She blocked him as best as she could, trying to use his momentum against him as she told herself, _'This is the akuma talking. Chat doesn't think these things. This isn't him.'_

He kept taunting her, "All you had to do was say something! Instead you left me in the dark, thinking I wasn't good enough, that I would never be good enough!"

She couldn't help herself, "That's not true! I tried! I tried to tell you!"

"NOT HARD ENOUGH!" He caught her middle with the baton and sent her flying back into the air. She threw her yo-yo to catch herself, but didn't move fast enough. A purple sphere slammed into her back, causing her to roll forward as she hit the nearest rooftop. She groaned, feeling the akuma's magic invading her mind.

She stared at the lucky charm still in her hand, it was a baton, just like Chat Noir's. A switch flipped in her mind as the pain disappeared and she stood slowly, extending the baton like a sword. Chat Noir dropped in front of her, shifting into a fighting stance, "You really think you are a match for me?"

She smirked wickedly, "I know I am. You are nothing more than a blind child who can't see the truth that's right in front of you."

"And who's fault is that?" He snarled.

Nightmare's laugh didn't affect either of them as they fought. Ladybug's voice was hard, "All I wanted was for you to see me! Just once! That was it, that was all I had ever asked and you couldn't even do that!"

"You think I didn't want to! I spent the past year talking myself out of falling in love with you! Do you realize how torn up I was? Your constant rejection, watching you walk away, I felt like I was willingly tearing out my own heart!"

"You think I had it any easier? Going day in and day out hearing how much you only loved half of me?" She blocked his swing to her right before telling him, "I can't do it anymore! I hate that this has happened! I wish I could take it all back!"

Chat flinched but matched her tone, "Then let's just take it back and be done with it! If this is how it is going to be, I wish you had never told me how you really felt!"

They said it together, "At least that way I could love you the way you deserve!"

As if subconsciously, they both turned with batons in hand, throwing them straight at Nightmare who had been standing there more than amused to see the hero's fighting each other. Ladybug's baton caused Nightmare to dodge, but put her right in the path of Chat's baton, who hit the bracelet at her wrist with amazing accuracy.

The akuma flew free and Chat caught Lila before she could fall to the ground. Ladybug caught and purified the akuma, watching Lila return to normal before calling out for the Miraculous Ladybugs. The ladybugs swirled around her and Chat Noir. She instantly looked over at him, seeing him blink a few times before looking at her.

She ran over to him, tears in her eyes as she said it throwing her arms around his neck, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck, "Please don't apologize. It was all my fault. You were right in front of me, and I was an idiot for not realizing it sooner."

"I should have never asked you to wait. I should have been brave enough to let you see without putting that burden on your heart."

"I should have opened my eyes, to see why I had to fight so hard to push down what I was feeling. If I had just accepted it the way you had, none of this would have happened. I'm so sorry bug, I'm sorry for everything."

Her eyes closed as she stood there in his arms, her earrings beginning the tell-tale count down of her time running out. Chat pulled back, telling her softly, "You need to go."

She looked over to see Lila getting to her feet as she nodded, "Soon Kitty." She caught Lila's eyes and told her, "You know, one day Hawkmoth is going to make you go too far, and you are going to regret it."

Lila rolled her eyes, "Think what you want."

Ladybug heard the beeping sound again and shook her head before taking off. Chat Noir was right on her heels. They went all the way to her house, both of them dropping onto her balcony before Chat asked her, "M'lady, can we talk?"

She turned back to him with a nod, "We need to, don't we?" Her transformation fell and she opened her trapdoor, "Come on."

He followed her inside before calling off his own transformation. They stayed sitting side by side on her bed. Tikki sat on her knee, while Plagg sat on Adrien's, neither of them saying a word as they munched on the macaron and camembert their holders had given them.

Adrien made sure to keep his hands to himself, but the urge to grab Marinette's hand was overwhelming. She was feeling the same way, but didn't have Adrien's restraint. She grabbed his hand firmly in hers, saying it again, "I am sorry. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to tell you how I felt."

He squeezed her hand, shaking his head, "Marinette, don't ever apologize for that. I should have never pressured you like that as Chat Noir."

"You weren't pressuring me. You were such a prince about the whole thing." She said, a blush forming on her cheeks, "I should have given you the chance to cope with the fact that it was me underneath, without jumping to the conclusion that you had never felt anything for me." She looked up at him and asked, "Did you really, fight down your feelings for Marinette because of Ladybug?"

He glanced at Plagg who simply raised an eyebrow at him. He told her the truth, "That was part of it, the part I kept telling myself, but my feelings for Ladybug weren't the only reason." Plagg cleared his throat, staring at him hard. Tikki shushed Plagg who didn't look the least bit remorseful.

"Then, why? Why did you push me away?" She asked sadly.

His heart leapt into his throat and he turned to face her more evenly, grabbing her face in his hands as their kwami's flew up into the air at the sudden move, "I was scared, more than I had been about anything in my entire life."

She frowned and he tried to explain, "Do you not realize how wonderful you are? How beautiful you really are, inside and out? When I realized that my feelings for you had changed into something more, my hands shook, and my stomach filled with butterflies. I thought I was going to cry, and yet all I wanted to do was laugh. You made me feel so many things all at once, it scared me how much those feelings overwhelmed me."

He put his forehead to hers, "The next time I saw you, I nearly blurted it out without thinking. Instead I ended up standing there like an idiot not able to get out a real word as every negative thought I could have crossed my mind. What if she didn't return my feelings? What if I lost her as a friend because of this? Would someone as beautiful as her even fall for someone like me? Do I even deserve someone like her in my life?"

She put her hands over his, "Oh Kitty,"

He closed his eyes, "I know it was stupid now, but all those thoughts kept me from saying anything. When you told me how you felt that day, I had this awful bitter taste in my mouth. All I wanted to do was cry in shock because you actually loved me back, me, for me. It was the same strong surge of happiness I felt when Ladybug told Chat Noir that she loved him. I love you Marinette, both sides of you. Please, please believe that."

Marinette pulled away from him, keeping his hands in hers in her lap. He saw her staring down at their hands, her voice cracking, "I love you Adrien. I've always loved you, and I'll always love you."

He touched under her chin lightly, lifting her eyes up to meet his, "With your permission m'lady."

She didn't hesitate for a second as her lips made passionate contact with his. He melted against her, letting go of everything as the wall that kept them apart all this time, finally crumbled.

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**Thanks for reading! You didn't think I'd really end it here, did you? It is VALENTINE'S DAY my darlings! Fluff is NECESSARY! Well, I almost ended it here, but my beta kicked some sense into me^-^(We were on the same page about needing just that, something, more. You know?) SO more is coming soon so don't fret!**

**Feel free to leave a comment or review if you want!**

**Au Revoir for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! This is the last one to wrap up my little box of Valentine's Day love!**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows! You guys are awesome! And a special thank you to my beta SunshineMLB!**

**You know the drill, I don't own the characters, just the plot! Enjoy! ^-^**

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_Flashback - Tuesday Feb.14, Valentine's Day_

Chat had his hands on his knee's with his eyes closed, breathing heavily as he stood by Ladybug's side at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He could hear her heart still racing, her breathing just as labored as his. His miraculous beeped again, and Tikki said it quickly, "I'm ready!"

"Tikki, Spots On!" Ladybug said tiredly before letting out a deep breath a few seconds later, "Okay Chat."

He stood tall and opened his eyes, seeing her eyes closed already. Despite the fact that they both knew who the other was, Ladybug was insistent that their eyes stayed closed while they transformed, yet again. After yesterday's absolute disaster, he owed her that much.

He couldn't believe he screwed up so badly. His voice was lacking its usual flamboyancy as he said it calmly, "Plagg, Claws In." His transformation fell and Plagg said it barely concealing his groan, "Cheese. Dying. Need, a nap."

Ladybug sighed softly as he pulled out another wedge of cheese for Plagg. Plagg took it quickly as Adrien told him, "We don't have time for naps today."

"Clearly." Ladybug said bitterly.

"That's already akuma number ten! And it's not even noon!" Plagg whined.

Ladybug said it gently, "Sorry Plagg, I wish there was a way we could avoid all of this but,"

"You humans and your heartbreak. What's the big deal anyways? People get their hearts broken all the time, why does today make it any worse?" Plagg mused annoyed, throwing his cheese into the air and catching it whole in his mouth.

Adrien glanced at Ladybug, trying to explain his thoughts, "Today is supposed to be filled with love Plagg. We are supposed to be able to go up to the person we love, and show them how much they really mean to us. It's a day that inspires confidence to admit those feelings, because everyone realizes that there is someone they cherish above all the others. When those feelings are rejected, or go unspoken, today just, isn't the day to deal with it the way we normally would. Today it hurts like a fresh wound, like one that will never heal."

Plagg was staring at him sadly, looking between him and the frowning Ladybug with a questioning stare. Adrien nodded, but kept going, "It's too easy today to let those feelings overwhelm us, and leave us feeling hopeless and afraid that the person we love will never love us back."

Ladybug said it before he could try to apologize again, "Today, the pain of rejection is amplified, and those missed opportunities to be with the person you love are also heightened. That kind of truth hurts deeper, no matter how much we try to think of a way around it."

It came out of him from nowhere, "Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind." Adrien couldn't help but take a small step in her direction, "Mari-,"

"No." She said instantly, taking a small step back, "We don't have time for this Chat. If Plagg is ready you need to change back."

He looked at Plagg who nodded, "Plagg, Claws Out." His transformation washed over him and he waited a second, closing the small gap between him and his lady. He lifted a clawed hand to her face, pausing just shy of touching her. His voice shook, "M'lady, I,"

She realized then how close he was because she backed up quickly, her eyes snapping open as she did, "What are you doing?"

He swallowed hard. This was the first time since midnight when the first Valentine akuma struck, that they had actually had a chance to have a real conversation, and it wasn't going to last forever. This might be the last chance he had.

He started to take a step towards her for every step back she took. Her back hit the rail and he put his hands on either side of her, caging her in the space of his arms. He held her eyes, begging her, "Please, please just hear me out. Yesterday,"

"Was the truth." She said without feeling. "You can't change that."

He dropped his arms and took a step back, realizing he could hear her heart beating wildly, nervous fear in her eyes. He wanted her to listen, but not at the cost of her being afraid of what he might do. He would never hurt her that way, and she needed to see that.

He took a deep breath to himself, his voice coming out softly, "Will you please just listen to me for five seconds? That's all I'm asking. I want to tell you what I really,"

"I heard enough." She said looking away from him.

"No, you didn't." He whispered, using a clawed finger to gently turn her face back to meet his gentle gaze, "You heard a truth yes, but you didn't even let me tell you why I said what I did."

"It won't change anything." She said as her eyes filled with tears.

"It can change everything." He promised, watching the tears fall down her face, crushing his heart even more.

"You don't love me Chat. So please, please just this go." She sobbed.

"Never." He said seriously, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. "I can't do that. I won't. I'm not letting you go. I'm not ever going to let you go."

"Why," she said as she cried into his chest, "why do you have to be this way?"

"Because you deserve to know the whole truth." He ran his hands through her hair soothingly, "I've never been able to be anything but myself around you. If you let me explain, and you still don't want anything to do with me, I'll understand. Right now, you don't understand what I,"

"What didn't I understand?" She said, her tears renewed almost instantly as she looked up at him, taking a step back, "That I was right? That you would have never found me if I hadn't said something to you? That you would have never realized that the boy I was in love with for so long was the same boy I had fallen in love with after trying to deny my feelings? That the shy, genuinely kind, most hardworking boy I had ever met had never, and would never look at me the way he looked at the girl in the mask? That compared to her, I'm no one?"

"I don't think that!" He yelled, frustrated that they were in this position to begin with.

"THEN WHY DID YOU PUSH ME AWAY!" She screamed in hurt, tears relentlessly streaming down her face.

She wasn't going to listen to him right now, he knew that, so he did the only thing he could to show her how he felt. He pulled her flush up against his chest, kissing her as though it was his last act on earth. She stood nearly rigid, her arms pinned to her sides as she went completely still.

He pulled back, catching her eyes and searching for the warmth that he loved. Instead he didn't see anything. Nothing passed her features as her beautifully bright blue eyes dimmed right in front of him. Her voice was even, "Are you done?"

He finally let her go, her shoulder's falling slightly as he took a single step back and asked worried, "Are you?"

A loud crash echoed around them but neither of them so much as moved a muscle as they held eyes.

"I don't know." She finally said, "I really don't know."

Another crash sounded closer, shaking the tower and forcing them both to look out into the city. Ladybug moved first and jumped up on the railing without a word, taking off towards akuma number eleven. Chat Noir closed his eyes for a second before following her, not realizing that this was the last time his Lady was going to look him in the eyes for a long time.

_...Thursday, midday break Feb.25, one week after Nightmare_

He stared down at the single pink rose in his hand, twirling it absentmindedly as he walked back to class far too early. He wanted to leave the rose on her desk the way he had been and leave the room again before she got back from lunch.

He sighed heavily outside the classroom door and was suddenly yanked down, "Hey!"

Nino covered his mouth and shook his head quickly, putting a finger over his mouth to keep him quiet. He frowned but nodded, hearing someone arguing in the classroom.

"...even get me started again!" A familiar feisty voice said sternly.

"Alya please, just let it go." His lady's voice said tiredly, not at all bothered by Alya's tone.

Adrien stiffened, looking at Nino with wide eyes. Nino pointed to him and Adrien flinched. Alya was arguing with Marinette about him, again.

"No, I'm not letting this go! That Sunshine child loves you and you love him! Why are you making yourself miserable like this?"

Marinette sounded defeated, "You wouldn't understand."

"Then explain it to me!" Alya screeched, "He kissed you in front of the entire commons, and protected you from that Nightmare Lila-akuma. It's been a week and you haven't said two words to the boy! He has brought you a pink rose every day this week and,"

"What do you want me to say Alya?" Marinette said, cutting Alya's rant short, "You think I don't know how amazing he is? You think _I_ don't know that? I know him better than anyone, inside and out, past the famous name, past the mask he thinks he has to wear every day. I've been in love with him for the better part of three years and they have been the best three years of my life despite the stuttering and falling, despite watching him go out with someone else and constantly telling myself that he would never look at me twice. You want to know so badly why I can't even look at him now? Fine, you want the truth?"

Marinette sounded like she was crying now, "I hurt him. I hurt him in the worst possible way and," he heard her sniffling, "I don't deserve to have him in my life anymore."

He got up, Nino trying to grab his arm to stop him, but he wasn't going to let this happen. He wasn't going to let her do this to herself.

Marinette sniffled again as he walked into the room. Her head was buried in her arms on her desk, Alya staring at her in shock before glancing over at him worried.

"No matter how much I wish I could, there is nothing I could ever do that will make up for the pain I put him through Alya, nothing." Marinette said as she let out a short sob. He walked up the steps quietly, Alya smiling at the rose in his hand before moving out of his way. He mouthed a sincere 'thank you' to her and sat down trying not to make any noise. Alya walked out of the room and he touched the top of her head softly, "Nothing, is a bit of a stretch."

She jumped up and moved out of his reach, "A-Adrien, when, when did you, Alya,"

"Switched places with me." He admitted.

She looked down away from him, wiping her eyes as he asked softly, "Would you, like me to go?"

She whispered it sadly, "No."

His heart skipped and he told her slowly, "Marinette," he couldn't help the way he caressed her name. He had missed saying her name. As silly as that sounded.

"You don't have anything to make up for." He really wished she would look at him, "I know that, we both needed time after our talk last week, especially with everything that happened."

She sniffled, "I'm so sorry."

He reached out to take her hand but stopped himself. He wouldn't touch her, in any way, not until she was ready. He had promised himself that. "I'm sorry too, more than I will ever be able to tell you. I thought," he stared down at the rose, "I thought I would be strong enough to give you the space you needed, but I'm not. I can't stand to see you upset, especially because of me, because you think you did something wrong."

She flinched, shrinking into herself. He told her again, "You didn't. I did. This, this is all my fault. I just," he sighed heavily, "I don't how to fix it, or how to begin trying to make it up to you."

He squeezed his eyes shut, they were burning, but he had run out of tears days ago. The burning was there, telling him he should be crying, but the tears that would ebb that pain refused to form.

His voice shook, getting it out one last time before he lost her for good, "I love you Marinette, more than I thought I could ever love anyone, but this time, the choice is completely up to you. You are the only person in the world who can bring the sun back into my night."

He laid the rose down next to her and leaned over. He was such a weakling. He kissed the side of her head, holding the kiss for a few seconds before moving back.

He stood and told her quietly, "I'm always going to love you my princess, and I'll wait for you for a lifetime if I have to. No one else will ever take my heart," he looked over and saw her finally looking at him, a beautiful blush on her cheeks, "because it's yours. It always has been."

He sat down in his usual seat in front of her, trying with the small amount of energy he had to force himself to not look back at her. Their class trickled in as lunch ended, everyone looking between them with the same worried expressions they had been wearing all week. When the day ended, Marinette rushed out without looking back.

He watched her disappear into the hall, Nino putting a comforting hand on my shoulder, "It's going to be all right my man."

Alya said it nodding, "That's right. She just, she does love you Adrien, and she knows that you love her too."

"I know." He whispered, "I just don't know if that is going to be enough this time."

He grabbed his bag and headed to fencing practice, knowing that all he could do now was wait.

_...Friday, before school Feb.26_

He rushed up the steps. Why, why was this his stupid luck? He was supposed to be here early to drop of Marinette's first rose of the day. Now he was pushing it because he had been up all night. He wasn't going to have as much time to make sure he was out of sight. It really shouldn't matter. His entire class knew that he had been giving Marinette a single rose twice a day, whether they had seen him leave the rose on her desk or not. Everyone knew that the roses on her desk were coming from him. And, he had for the first time yesterday, actually given her the rose himself instead.

He made a B-line for the stairs anyways, seeing Ivan and Mylene standing there talking. He really hoped Marinette's streak of being on time all week finally broke today.

Ivan saw him coming and blocked the stairs, smiling at him, "Hey Adrien." "Hi Adrien." Mylene said happily from next to him.

"Hey guys, good morning. Do you mind if I,"

Ivan pulled a sealed envelope out of his pocket, "Actually I have something for you."

He took the envelope and saw the green heart sticker sealing it shut. He said it worried, "Uh, Ivan,"

Mylene giggled, "Just open it Adrien. We can't let you pass until we know you've read it."

He flashed her a concerned look but opened the note, recognizing the handwriting immediately, "_My dearest Adrien, Congratulations on winning the inter-city fencing tournament. I don't know a lot about fencing, but you made it look so easy. I know you must have worked hard, and I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry your father couldn't be there, he missed out, but I'm glad I was there to see it. I was rooting for you the whole time. I knew you would win. Maybe, I can take you out for an ice cream to celebrate? If you want. We'll talk soon. Lots of Love, Marinette._" He smiled, but then frowned as he looked between them confused, "Wait, where did this come from? That tournament was almost a year ago."

Ivan smiled slightly, "Marinette just asked us to make sure you got it." Mylene nodded, and he smiled at them, "Oh, okay. Thanks guys. Have you seen her?"

Mylene smiled, "She's in homeroom already."

Ivan let him pass but he was stopped at the top of the stairs by Kim who held his arm out, "Not so fast Agreste."

He said it quickly, "Sorry, I just need to get to homeroom."

Alix snorted, "Oh yeah, I'm sure you want to, but first." She reached into her jacket and pulled out an envelope, sealed with another green heart. He asked confused, "What is going on?"

Kim laughed, "Just open the letter."

He took the note from Alix and read it quickly, "_My dearest Adrien, I'm so sorry your father wouldn't let you have a party for your birthday. You deserve so much more, but I hope you like the gift. I hope it warms your heart and keeps you safe. It's not much, but I poured all my love into it for you. You are so special to me Adrien, I hope you know that. Happy Birthday, and many more. Lots of Love, Marinette._"

He felt a prickling start in the corner of his eyes, asking them both, "What is she doing?"

Kim opened his mouth and Alix stomped on his foot hard, "Oh no you don't. Not a word dingus." Alix pointed to the left as Kim hopped up and down on one foot behind her, "I wasn't going to say anything!"

"Next stop is that way." Alix told him. He kept the letters in his hand as he walked down the hall, away from their homeroom.

He found Markov and Max, who had a tablet in his hand as he walked up to them. He asked nervously, "I take you guys have something for me too?"

Markov nodded, "Affirmative."

Max smiled and turned the tablet on before turning the screen to face him. A video was paused on Marinette's face. Max pushed play and Marinette was smiling shyly at the camera, "_Adrien, I love you. I'll always be there if you need me._" The video ended and his phone pinged. He saw a video file from Max who was telling him, "We sent you that video as a group a long time ago, but your cousin,"

"Deleted it." He said remembering, "This is from that day?"

Max nodded, "Marinette asked me to find a copy and thought you'd like to see it, but for this at least all you needed to see was her part for now."

He smiled at Max, "Thank you. I'll take a look at it when I get the chance. Where am I going now?"

Max pointed back down the hall where he had just come from, "To Rose and Juleka."

He saw the girls waving to him and rushed over, shaking his head with a smile. Rose had a large bouquet of fresh red roses tied with green and black ribbon around the stems in her hands, with a giant smile on her face, "These are for you!"

He asked as he took them, "What are these for?"

Rose said it happily, "There's a note!"

He saw the note attached to the stems, "_A rose for every rose that has been shared between us._"

He said it shakily, "She, she knew? She kept count."

Juleka smiled shyly with her hands behind her back, "She also wanted you to have this."

She handed him a small glass box where a beautiful red rose was frozen forever in clear resin. There was a small, frosted inscription on the front of the glass that was barely legible. It said simply, _'The First'_.

He felt the tears welling up in his eyes, his sensitive eyes catching the smallest of designs etched into the glass at the bottom corner. It was faint, something no one else would notice who wasn't looking for it, but there was no mistaking it. It was his Chat Noir symbol, linked with her Ladybug one.

He asked shakily, "Where is she? I need to see her."

Rose beamed, "Nope, one more stop Monsieur Agreste." Rose pointed to the homeroom door, and he saw that all of the curtains had been drawn so no one could see inside. Alya and Nino were standing outside of the door, waiting for him in anticipation with bright smiles. Alya took the flowers and Nino took the glass box with the rose and the notes. They both set them down carefully before drawing him into a group hug.

He hugged them both, asking trying not to cry, "You guys, what,"

Alya hugged him tighter, "We both love you Adrien, you and Marinette. We have hated seeing how torn up you guys have been, and all we want is for you both to be happy again."

Nino was nodding, "Yeah dude. We know it is never going to be the same, especially because of your moms but, we are your family too."

Adrien found himself hugging them even tighter, finally letting the tears fall, "You guys have changed my life. I don't know what I'd do if I had never met you, either of you. You are the best family a guy could ask for."

Alya kissed his cheek and Nino bumped his fist before Alya handed him a small note, "One more note, and no more secrets."

He opened the small note, and saw that it was without a doubt one of Marinette's drawings. It had the word family elegantly written inside of a domino mask. Ladybugs symbol was on the bottom left, and Chat Noir's was on the bottom right. The top right corner had Carapace's symbol, and the top left had Rena Rouge's. He stared at it confused before looking up at them. The top corners were practically pointing at them. His voice dropped to a whisper, "Y-you, you're,"

Alya lifted the necklace from under her shirt, and Nino lifted his wrist to flash him the bracelet like he was adjusting his hat. He smiled brightly, hugging them both again, "Of course, I'm such an idiot."

"Well, the sun does blind you if you look too close Sunshine." Alya said with a small laugh before turning towards the door. Nino put a hand on his shoulder, "We've got your back. Go. Your lady awaits."

Alya cracked the door for him and then moved out of the way. He walked forward, his heart stopping as he entered the room. The door closed behind him, and he couldn't stop staring at her. "Ladybug."

She nodded, and he had to know, "The notes?"

"Written and never given." She explained.

"The video," he started but she explained that too, "I knew that day wasn't the best, but I wanted you to know that there was someone left in this world who loved you."

"What birthday gift were you talking about?" He asked curious.

She blushed, "The scarf, the blue one."

He let out a small sigh, but stopped as it dawned on him, "Of course it wasn't from him." "I'm sorry," "No," he said shaking his head, trying to smile, "thank you. That is one of the best gifts I've ever gotten."

"You're welcome." She said as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"You really kept count, of the roses?" He asked, taking an involuntary step towards her as she nodded, "Of course."

"And is that really," "The very first one." She said, really smiling this time, "I had put it in the clear resin and the glass box a few days after you gave it to me, but I did the inscriptions a few weeks ago. I was, going to give it to you for Valentine's day."

It clicked suddenly, "Did Lila really smash,"

"Yeah," she said looking down, "I had overheard her threatening to ruin whatever gift I was going to give you, as usual, so I made one she could destroy without losing the real one."

He said it relieved, "You are truly brilliant bugaboo."

She asked him softly before they could get trapped in awkward silence, "Can you ever forgive me Kitty, for everything?"

"Only if you can forgive me, m'lady." He said with a small smile. She smiled back before closing her eyes, "Spots Off."

He watched for the first time as her transformation fell, and felt his heart re-start, only to crash violently against his chest as it tried to burst out of him.

Marinette was in a soft green sun dress that no doubt matched his eyes. Black straps held the dress up and she turned to the side slightly, letting him see that the black straps went all the way down her back in a crossing pattern. She had a black choker ribbon around her neck that had a single small gold bell on it that tinkled softly as she turned.

And that did it.

He took a step to close the distance but she moved and was in his arms before he could take more than that one step. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he lifted her up, kissing her with everything he had without hesitation.

Her hands tangled in his hair, even as she pulled back slowly. She stayed in his arms, hers pulling him closer as she told him, "You told me the choice was mine, and I made it." She cupped his cheek, and he leaned into the touch of her small hand, "You are my choice. You, Adrien Agreste, it will always be you. I want to move forward, together, and be happy," she smiled teary eyed, "because you make me really, really happy."

He said lovingly in no more than a whisper as he finally set her down, feeling the weight of all his pain finally starting to ease, "I promise, you will know every day for the rest of your life how much you mean to me."

He rested his head on top of hers as she laid her head on his chest. "Marinette, will you do me the honor my princess, of being my girlfriend, and being my Valentine?"

She giggled softly, and the sound pushed back the last of the cold that had fallen over him, "Valentine's Day has already passed." She lifted her head to look at him, the sun was back to shining in her eyes as he cradled her cheek carefully, "I'm putting a claim through in advance."

She rolled her eyes, making him smirk, "What?"

"You don't have to put a claim through you dork. Being your girlfriend will be claim enough." She said teasing, smiling up at him. He hugged her tightly, just because he could and didn't ever want to let her go.

"I love you Marinette." He whispered into her hair.

She tightened her hold, "I love you Adrien."

He kissed her again, just pressing his lips to hers gently.

An eruption of applause came from behind them and they parted, smiling brightly at their friends who came rushing into the room towards them. Ivan lifted them both into a tight hug before setting them down. The girls were exclaiming excitedly as they hugged him and Marinette, the guys hugging Marinette and switching between fist bumps, high fives, and pats on the back for him. Everyone was congratulating them on finally being together, Alya telling Adrien seriously that he had better take care of her bestie.

He didn't have any arguments there. He was going to make sure that the smile on Marinette's face now never faded. He was going to make sure that she was happy, and work like hell to keep her that way.

No matter what it took.

He finally had his lady, his best friend, his princess, his heart, in his arms, and as she smiled up at him, he knew he would never want anything more than this.

Than her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and for sticking with me until the end! Happy Valentine's day again everyone! I hope it was filled with love and laughter! **

**Feel free to comment or review if you want!**

**Until next time! Au Revoir for now!**


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